Illustrator Alicia Souza Tells Us What's In Her Little Black Book When it Comes To Art Supplies

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Although I’m predominantly an illustrator, I love dabbling in arts and crafts, and since I never received any formal training I feel like there’s that much more freedom to express my creativity and try new things. I’m always looking for something unique, whether it’s multipurpose paper in cool prints, or paint to create new textures and patterns with! Every time I come across a stationary store, I can’t help but go in, because I never know what I’ll find. Here are some cool spots I’ve found around Bangalore — maybe you’ll get as lucky as I have and come across a quirky little find!

Karnataka Newspaper & Stationery Store, Thippasandra

This little store looks like a book shop from the outside, but appearances can be deceiving! If you go inside, you’ll find a treasure trove of stationary you’ll be hard pressed to find elsewhere. They have some pretty cool things like washi tape, glitter tape and jute ribbons, as well as a cool assortment of pens. The best part is, unlike most other small stationary shops, you’re welcome to browse the wares and handpick what you want!

Kundapura Enterprises, Thippasandra

This one’s a bit of a hit or miss in terms of what you’ll find. The first time I visited, I found some vintage Ideal Boy posters in mint condition, and at a real steal. Another time I found some reject stamps, which you can put onto acrylic blocks and then do custom stamps of! Pretty cool, right? The store’s a bit dusty, so you’ll have to check the item thoroughly, and probably clean it up yourself. Other than these rare finds, you can find a range of regular notebooks and stationary, but when there’s something good, it’s great!

Orion Paper Mart, Shivaji Nagar

This one’s less popular than Reliance Stationary, but just as iconic! I love this store for their giant collection of paints, available in every colour. They also have the best range of papers, in all sorts of materials and prints. They can double up as wrapping paper, if you’re looking to do some cool gift packing for Christmas or even a birthday. Their stocks change quickly, though, so you’ll probably never find the same thing twice. Also, although you can’t browse through things yourself, if you ask them for something particular, they’ll most likely have it! Super cool.